Our Story
Loop Studios is a well-equipped independent recording studio in Stockport, UK, owned, operated, and lovingly hand built by Dan Steele and Martin Wallace. Located in the characterful surroundings of one of Stockport's iconic mills, the studio is conveniently sited just off the M60 motorway, and only 7 miles from the centre of Manchester.
Dan and Martin are both sought after creative freelancers with long successful track records in sound engineering, sound design, tour management and musical composition, and they’re both great musicians themselves.
Our Mission
Making Musical Magic
We’re driven by a firm belief that the recording studio environment has the power to inspire artists and bring out the best in their abilities. Our professional, relaxed attitude, help our clients achieve and exceed their recording potential. No matter what your style or genre, we can help you create and capture the sounds you’ve always dreamed of playing.
Our Team
Professionals with a Purpose
Dan Steele
Dan Steele has an exceptional track record in sound engineering, sound design and composition, working with a variety of well respected creative partners and collaborators across music, theatre and multimedia. An in-demand sound engineer for all manner of live events, Dan has managed the sound team at renowned venue Albert Hall Manchester, and has been sound designer on a number of successful theatre shows, including several high-profile events hosted by Manchester International Festival in recent years.
Further afield, Dan was the sound project manager for the spectacular closing ceremony in Paphos, Cyprus, for the city’s year as European Capital of Culture in 2017. He has worked with many theatre companies over the past 18 years, including English Touring Theatre, Contact Theatre, Red Ladder, Soho Theatre and more. On Gecko Theatre’s The Overcoat, Dan created sound design for a show that toured the UK and internationally, including Brazil, South Korea, Israel and China.
Dan also has a successful track record as a performer/composer. He has been a musician for most of his life, playing guitar to a high level, and back in 2013 he co-created the two man show Anthropoetry, with acclaimed artist Ben Mellor. Dan and Ben successfully performed this award winning self-produced show at the Edinburgh Fringe (twice), as well as touring it round the UK and Australia. Dan has also contributed his original compositions to several films, including Channel 4 documentary Fred and Rose West. Dan has commissioned string players to perform and record his music for several projects he worked on at Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake, which honed his score writing and arranging – skills that Dan is keen to contribute to future studio projects.
Back in 2019, Dan got together with business partner and longtime friend Martin Wallace to start making a lifelong dream a reality. Nearly four years after starting to build their recording studio and creative space, after navigating many challenges and putting in some really hard graft, Loop Studios are finally open for business!
Martin Wallace
Martin Wallace is a highly experienced sound engineer and creative technician whose expertise has been sought after by many acclaimed artists, festivals and organisations for over 15 years. Martin has lent his skills to thousands of live music, comedy and theatre events across the world, from Tokyo to Rio de Janeiro, and New York to Svalbard!
Martin has worked as a sound engineer, tour manager and technical director on numerous best-selling national and international tours over the last decade, with music artists and bands including Superorganism, Rae Morris, Låpsley, Swiss-Tamil artist Priya Ragu and English rock legends Ocean Colour Scene, as well as with comedy stars including Rob Beckett and Dara Ó Briain. Martin has also been an in-demand sound engineer for many high profile corporate events, including the Samsung pavilion at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
Martin is a Mancunian born and bred, and closer to home, he has worked on sound design and as a front of house engineer for several acclaimed, cutting edge productions by the renowned biennial Manchester International Festival (MIF), including:
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The original ballet/music collaboration Tree of Codes, choreographed by the Wayne McGregor company and featuring the Paris Opera Ballet, with an original soundtrack composed by Jamie xx. Martin toured the world with this production which was staged in Toronto, New York, Paris and Sydney in addition to its Manchester premiere.
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The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic directed by Bob Wilson, starring Willem Dafoe alongside the celebrated performance artist Marina, and featuring original music from Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons
In addition to his busy live sound career, Martin has always been passionate about recorded sound and the process of making records. He has a longstanding passion for music and is a talented multi-instrumentalist in his own right, being self-taught from a young age on guitar, piano, bass and more. Almost four years ago, Martin and his business partner Dan started work to build their new recording studio and creative space – after a ton of hard work and many challenges, including a global pandemic, Loop Studios is finally open for business!